The Curse of the Moon
by VeraMarie18
Summary: Life at the palace isn't happily ever after. With her past haunting her, rumors of being an impostor, and the threat of war pushing down on Rapunzel's shoulders, she must find a way to solve everything - even if it may come at the cost of someone she loves, and even if it means using the new power she obtained - a power that may destroy everything she has left.
1. Prologue

Prologue

It's been nearly a year since I have returned.

The first few months were bliss – weeks of parades and celebration. And the wedding. There was nothing more that I could ask for, nor did I want anything else. I was truly happy. Content.

Then, cries of happiness stopped drifting into my bedroom window. It happened bit by bit that I hadn't even noticed when it stopped altogether. Thinking nothing of it, I went on with my usual business. Spent time with Flynn, Rode Maximus for a while, painted, read; Only at noon had I noticed something unsettling. I had finished the usual activities I would do in a day, in three hours. Not only that, it wasn't even the least bit gratifying. I realized then, with a mixture of dread and confusion, that the castle, no, this world, is just another tower – a tower with more activities perhaps, but a tower nonetheless. And no matter what I do, the thought chilled me to the bone, and the image of Gothel's wicked, smiling face haunted me along with it.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I woke up with Eugene's arm wrapped around my waist. I shifted, trying to get up without him stirring. Inch by inch, I moved his hand, stopping every time something as small happened, like as his breath caught or his head adjusted. I had to be patient, after all, Eugene had always been a light sleeper. _Must've been his days as a thief,_ I thought. After a good three minutes or so, I gently set his hand down beside me and sat up. The early morning sunlight was peeking through my open window, their rays brightening up the room.

"Morning honey..."

The deep mumbled words still had a calming effect, though some brightness were gone.

"Good morning." I replied, not turning to face him. Wordlessly, I slid off the bed and walked across the plush carpet floor. At the corner of my eye, I saw Eugene staring at me, a tired expression on his face. I ignored it as I pushed open the bathroom door effortlessly.

The marble floors were cold, though that I ignored too, as I crossed the unnecessarily large room to stand in front of a mirror that took up an entire wall. I then grabbed a brush nearby. My hair was up to my rib now, and it was getting darker as it grew. I brushed it, let it down, taking no time at all, and changed into a lacy golden day dress. Cocking my head, I inspected my appearance. I looked the same, yet completely different. My hair had turned wavy, and it looked as if I had dyed it to have an ombre effect. The ends were a chocolate brown yet the top of my head was just a shade above black. For that reason alone, I refused to cut it. I didn't like black hair on me. It looked too... dark. And I didn't need another source of sadness.

No, it wasn't that. Sadness wasn't the word. Was depression more like it? I didn't know the proper term. I stood there for about five minutes before I could clearly express what I was feeling. It was as if I was tired all the time, like everything stood still, and I had trouble finding joy in anything. I thought about it some more. _Yes_ , I thought, _you could see it in my eyes._ Though there were no bags under them, their light had gone out, and I don't remember the last time I truly smiled with both my eyes and heart.

Thinking about it only saddened me more. Turning away, I brushed my teeth, trying to keep my mind off the subject. I thought about a new painting idea as I sprayed on perfume. _How about birds,_ I wondered _, or maybe the sun. Maybe Eugene would even model for me._ I giggled as I thought about what silly poses I could get away with him doing. The giggle filled the room. Seems like these days only Eugene can lift my mood. I hung onto that thought as I stepped out the bathroom. He was my ray of sunshine, and I didn't want his brightness to be lost too.

* * *

Guys the first three chapters are gonna be kinda short. (Including the Prologue) So... yeah. K bai.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When I excited the bathroom, Eugene was already out of bed. The white cotton blankets had already been tidied up, while the pillows were fluffed and had been set against the headboard. A new vase of lavander sat on the headboard, filling the room with it's scent. It only took a few moments for my eyes to scan the room. The door leading to the hallway had been left open, and it was obvious that Eugene hadn't bothered to wait for me until he left.

"Oh well," I said, trying to get the twinge of disappointment out of my head. I walked over to the other side of the room, where a couples of chairs, a couch, some shelves, a coffee table, and a painting easel sat near a huge bay window. Some paint had been poured into glass bottles, which sat in a wooden box. I looked at it for a moment. The box looked fragile and delicate, unlike the ones I used back in my tower. Those were overused and splattered all over the place all the time. However, I still loved them. A part of me wanted to go back to the tower to get them, though I bit my lip when my mother suggested I get new paints. Guess it was alright. I didn't even want to go back to that tower anyways.

I sat down, on the too-comfortable chairs and picked up a brush. I had been given over twenty, handcrafted from mahogany, and the tips were dipped in what seemed like gold. The brush had been made from feathers of an exotic animal, and it was so soft, a gray little tail with flecks of brown and crimson. I dipped it into a bottle, not caring what color paint it held. The brush hovered over the canvass for a short while, then flew across the room. The clang suprised me, and forced me to look up. The floor was streaked with green paint. It would be horrible trying to clean that out. I clenched my fist... then unclenched it. Only then had I noticed that I was unreasonably angry. Not at the brush, but at myself. Myself and this whole place. How unnatural it felt, and how stupid I was, not being able to adapt to it in a year's time. I felt like an outsider, even after all these months. Tears came. I didn't know what I was crying for; yet it still felt good to cry.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I spent nearly the whole day sitting on the sofa, just starting out the window. You can see from miles on out. It kept me entertained, I guess. Watching the townspeople go about thier lives, while my mind raced with thoughts. As I looked at them, one little girl caught my eye and waved. That brought a smile out of me. I waved back. Doing so made my eyes drift upward. The sun was setting, making the clouds a beautiful pink and gold. _Is this how clouds feel?_ I wondered as the girl turned away and ran into a shop. _Can clouds do anything except loom over people, and rain every now and then?_ I hadn't expected to actually think about the thought, though I couldn't help myself. _I wonder if clouds want to be like us – or if they're content being what they are. How do clouds do it? Being helpless but happy? Are they happy?_ As I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear, I compared myself to a cloud. Silly as it seems, I could actually myself as a cloud. Floating through the days, with nothing to do except maybe join with other clouds. And even so, they drift apart eventually. Though they never drift away completely the same as before. The other piece of cloud had took a piece of them, or they the other, or maybe both took a piece of each other – however it happens, maybe that's why clouds are so content. They're constantly changing... even as they turn themselves to mist.

* * *

Eugene eventually returned, and after hours, I quit musing about the thought about clouds. We ate dinner in the balcony that night. The sky was clear, and the stars twinkled high above our heads. Everytime I looked over at him, I kept thinking that I never quite noticed how good he looked in candlelight. I didn't really know what changed, but whatever it was, I'm glad it did. The fluttery feeling returned, the kind that made you blush and smile for the littlest things, after disappearing for months. I suspect he noticed it too, because he took my hand after dinner, just as he used to do, and kissed me tenderly, sweetly. I didn't really need anything more than that, and after nearly a year, I felt content once more.

We didn't do anything else that night, yet I got the best sleep I've had in... well, forever. It was even better than our wedding night. The mornings that followed, I woke up in his arms and stayed there until he stirred. My day never really started until I got a kiss from him, which left me giddy until nightfall. Four months passed, and nothing changed, well except for my hair, which now passed my hip. It didn't bother me all that much anymore. Each day, Eugene and I wandered around the town, and by now, we know more than half the residents, and where the best place is to stargaze, which happens to be up on a hill near the water, with a better view of the town than the palace roof itself. Every night we spent on that hill, we danced until our legs were too tired and fell asleep.

* * *

The day of my birthday, which took place two months later, I woke up in the bed by myself. I was immedietly saddened, of course, but my disappointment disappeared soon after I found a note from Eugene, telling me to meet him on the riverside beside the palace by noon. Excited as ever, I took a bath in the biggest bathtub in the castle, which the maids filled with rosewater. After that, I got dressed in a drapy, creamy, golden dress that came up to my knees and flowed in the back. It had a sheer overgarment with it, and purple, blue and green lace crawled upon it like delicate vines. I left my hair down, except for a little strand that I braided and embeded little jeweled flowers in. I wore simple white heels, and with a plain pearl necklace, I was ready.

Accompanied by a guard, I walked over to the riverside, where Eugene sat beside a gondola. The guard left and he took my by the hands and kissed the top of my head. I could've sworn that I melted a bit inside. "You look beautiful," He said, and gently guided me to the gondola, which wobbled a bit after I stepped inside. Scared about the boat tipping over, I sat down, and Flynn joined me soon after. However, what puzzled me was when he remained standing and grasped the oar. He strained a bit, and suddenly the boat moved. We spent the entire afternoon floating around, and every now and then he stopped to take a rest. Once we passed under a bridge and a little boy reached down and gave me a flower which smelled wonderful.

After circling around the town twice, Eugene and I decided to stop for lunch at a local restaurant. I got some sort of ham sandwhich with a crunchy, nutty spread, and he got a sandwhich with eight kinds of meat. Sadly, bit of chicken and ground beef kept falling off the sandwhich, which then caused Eugene to try to stuff it in his mouth as fast as he can, and for about two minutes, he couldn't swallow since he didn't chew it yet, and he couldn't chew it because there were hardly enough space in his mouth. I laughed until my stomach hurt, and I'm sure I saw the waiter smiling at the corner of my eye.

A few hours later, the sun started setting, and to my suprise, two horses waited for us outside. I looked over at Eugene and he winked at me. No doubt, it took him weeks to plan all this. I blushed, and mounted my horse, with a little help from him. We took a little path nearby that led to the forest. Then, without warning, Eugene took off. Confused, I followed.

We eventually arrived at the stargazing hill by dusk, and what I saw next made me gasp. Upon the top of the hill stood a rickety cabin, surrounded with overflowing flowerbeds. Next to it sat a bench, facing the town. However, while I thought the outside was wonderful, my breath was completely taken away once Eugene showed me inside. It was suprisingly roomy, something you wouldn't think when you were outside. A small fireplace sat at the opposite end of the room, with a pot hanging over it. The ceiling was covered in vines and flowers, filling the whole cabin in a dreamy scent. Two sofas were in the center of the room, as well as a wooden coffee table covered with golden cloth. Beside that was a heavy wool curtain which had been dyed a soft lilac. Eugene pushed it over, revealing a simple white double bed on the other side. There was a little door, which I suspected led to a bathroom. During all this, I hadn't said a word, but now, I squealed in delight. This house, this cabin, was the perfect birthday gift. Pleased with my enthusiasm, Eugnene hugged me tight, and kissed the top of my head once again. I looked up at him. "How did you do this?" I asked.

Grinning, he replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "Worked on it all night, well, with the help of a few dozen carpenters, landscapers and engineers," He shrugged. "But it was mostly me."

That night, we sat on the bench, a soft blanket over us, as we watched as hundreds of lanterns floated up the nights sky once more. After the lanterns had drifted away, Eugene and I went back inside the cabin. As we lay in bed, he kept kissing me, and I kissed back. We didn't know what we were doing, yet at the same time, we knew exactly what was going to happen. By the time the wind blew out the last candle, I hadn't needed it to keep warm.

* * *

Okay. Hopefully that wasn't too graphic. Anyways! So I know the last three chapters were kinda short, and that it's annoying clicking the 'next' button, so that's why you got this... sorta long (not really) chapter. It kinda works out too. You get your long-ish chapter, and I get the romantic stuff out of the way so we can progress in the story! It's a win-win! Sort of...

Btw, who else is glad that Rapunzel finally stopped being so moody?


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The little bubble of happiness surrounded me for the next two weeks.

Today, rain poured softly outside the bay window. It hadn't stopped for days. Eugene sat on a wooden stool across from the easel, an unreadable expression on his face. I couldn't quite capture it in the painting. Brow furrowed, I decided to add a smirk to his expression. I remembered it all too well that he didn't need to smile himself. Carefully marking a sideways grin below his lopsided nose, I dipped the paintbrush into the reddish-pink bottle. It took a full 13 minutes to get the mouth right, and even so, when I looked at it, his face looked sort of odd. It was as if he didn't know what expression to wear. I dipped the paintbrush into the bottle again when Eugene spoke.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

Thinking nothing of it, I replied. "Sure."

I heard him inhale before he spoke again. "Am I just a distraction to you?"

I looked up at him, confused. His expression was stern. When I didn't respond, he spoke again. "I've been thinking a lot, and your whole life, it seemed as if you relied on _distractions_ to get you trough." He was looking out the window now. "No, not really distractions. More like routines. Yeah, routines that help you distract yourself from what's actually going on."

"-What are you-"

"First the tower. All those chores that you do. The paintings, cleaning, they distract you from the reality – Gothel keeping you as prisoner." The mention of Gothel's name made my skin crawl. "Sometimes I wonder... if you had actually checked the facts, or even, thought for your ownself, I wonder if you would've gotten out of that tower sooner." _Was he blaming me for this...?_ I wondered. "And now, a year ago, you seemed so..." He drew a breath. "You shut me out. It was clear that you were unhappy. But everything that's happening in this castle, you let it distract you. And now me. Before that night," I thought back to the candlelight dinner, "You wanted _nothing_ to do with me. I thought..." He looked at me, his eyes glassy. "I thought you were going to leave me. But all of a sudden, something changed. I didn't know what it was, but suddenly, it was like it never happened. I went along, obviously, I wanted to be happy with you, and, I loved you, but all those times that we spent together, you hadn't bothered to do anything else. Was it because you found your new distraction?" He blurted all of this out, and I didn't know how to react. Now that I thought about it, it sort of made sense, but at the same time, it didn't.

"Please say I'm wrong." Eugene looked at me, and after a few silent moments, he sighed and left the room.

* * *

When I was getting ready for bed, Eugene returned. "I'm sorry that I forced all of that onto you earlier." He drew in a breath. "I didn't know what I was thinking. I dwelled on it for so long, I thought it was true." He muttered something under his breath, but he looked down and it was clear that he was ashamed of his accusations.

Not closing any space between us, I spoke. "You're not a distraction, Eugene." I said in the most comforting voice that I could manage. "You're so much more than that. You're the only thing keeping me sane." I forced a smile. The joke came out weak.

He didn't lift his head. I could've sworn I saw a tear fall down from his face, glinting in the moonlight. "Yeah I'll see you in the morning." And with that, he left, without so much as a goodnight, leaving me feeling cold and empty.

* * *

I woke up in a clatter footsteps outside the hall. Suddenly, a knock came from the thick wooden door. As I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and sat up, a weird feeling came in my stomach. Something bad was going to happen. I opened the door cautiously, and was greeted by the troubled eyes of my mom and dad. They both exchanged nervous looks. My mom spoke up first. "Honey, we got some news."

The anticipation was killing me. "Just blurt it out mom." I bit my lip. They exchanged looks again, and then my dad handed me a piece of paper folded in half. A messy ' _To Rapunzel'_ was written on the front. I opened it and read the words breathlessly.

 _Dear Rapunzel,_

 _I'm going away for a while. I'm not really sure how long but... I'm not going away because of you, but because of me. I can't really explain it. I'm ashamed that I couldn't tell you myself, because, well, I was afraid that if I didn't leave now, I would never leave. I'm also sorry if this causes you pain in any way, but sincerely, I want you to be happy. Please understand. I love you so, so much._

 _\- Eugene_

I reread the letter about two times, each time not daring to believe that this was real. Too bad it was. Eugene has left me.


End file.
